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I waved from the back of the car. I was sitting completely backward, but it was the only way I could see everything I was leaving behind. Our small house, the neighbors, and the beautiful Texan sun that was setting in the horizon.
The little boy next door was the hardest one to say good-bye to. We were the same age, only a three month difference. We'd been best friends since his parents moved in. We were only three at the time, and like I said, we clicked immediately. Now we were in ready to enter fifth grade. Seven years were ending quickly.
"Mom, do we really have to leave?" I said, my voice cracking as a soft tear rolled down my cheek. The crack in my voice caused another tear to fall.
"I know it doesn't feel fun right now Al, but it'll all work out," my mother said as she put her hand on my back to turn me around. Once I was turned around I put my seatbelt on and turned my head around once again. Now I was farther away and I couldn't even tell that there were three people waving good-bye in the place that was now just a blur behind the water in my eyes.
"Alexander, just look forward sweetheart. You'll be back someday, if that's what you truely want. When your old enough," my father said trying to calm me down.
"Good-bye Texas," I whispered as I put my forehead to the glass window and looked up at the stars that were beginning to appear in the sky. "Hello Indiana."
I picked up the pillow that was next to me on the seat and pulled my head off the window. I put the pillow on the window where my head had been and set my head down on the pillow. Less then five minutes later, I was fast asleep.
I woke up a few times during the drive to Indiana. Of course we didn't get there in one night. In fact it took three nights to get there and we arrived at about one in the morning.
All I remember from the drive is that I had woken up a few times that first night to see my father driving and my mother sleeping with my baby sister attempting to chew off her fingers. Then seconds later, I was asleep again.
When we arrived in Indiana my mother woke me up and told me we were home. I, of course, looked out the window expecting to see my old house in Texas. I squinted to see through the darkness and saw a different home.
This one was white instead of blue. This was two stories rather than one. This was in Indiana, not Texas.
I stopped thinking about it and walked with my mother to the porch as my dad got my sister, Caytlin, out of her carseat. Once we were all in the house mom sent us to bed which was already there. My parents had been here for two weeks before now getting the house ready. Caytlin went with them while I stayed with the neighbors.
I laid down pulled my favorite blanket up to my chin as I turned over and curled my legs up. The corner of my blanket rested under my right cheek and I went back to sleep quickly. Indiana was now my new home, and i'd have to get used to it no matter how much I missed the boy next door.
Chapter 2: Blast From My Past
I was finally a junior in high school. I'd lived in Indiana for more the five years now and had made a quite a few friends. My hair was now down to my waist and had grown darker. It was almost black now and my sister was starting kindergarden. I was walking home from my first day back to school with my best friend, Lynn. We were going to my house to work on plans for the year...or just for girl talk.
"Alexander, where do you want to go for dinner tonight sweetheart?" my father asked when I walked past his office door. He asked me this almost everyday.
"Mom's choice today dad," I said continueing to my room which was at the end of the hall.
"You know, I never learned why your dad calls you Alexander. It's Alexandra isn't it?" Lynn asked once we were in my room. I sat down in my favorite chair. One that should've been in the living room, but I'd kind of claimed it for my room when we bought it. Lynn took a seat on my bed and looked around at the mess on my floor. It was all boxes and pictures. I was a huge fan of photo albums and I'd just been able to buy some new ones for back when I lived in Texas. I hadn't been able to really go through the pictures yet.
"Yeah. Dad started calling me Alexander when Caytlin was born. He wanted a boy and he came home, saw me shoot a basket and throw a punch at this boy that bugged me at school. He figured I was good enough and barely calls me anything but Alexander," I explained. She nodded and continued to look at the pictures on my floor.
"Another album?" she asked. I just nodded and we both took it as a signal to slip on the floor and go through the pictures together. We each picked up a stack.
The first picture I looked at was just of my old house. I didn't look at it very closely before flipping to the next picture. I had obviously taken this one. I'd always loved the camera and could always tell my own pictures. It was one of my mom and dad playing with Caytlin. It was almost completely sideways and half of dad was out of the picture. There was nothing on the other half of the yard either. I couldn't help but giggle slightly.
"Aww, who's this?" Lynn said. I leaned over and looked atthe picture in her hands. It was of a two dark haired children, both eyes were shut. The kids only looked like they were about five years old and they were kissing. Just one of those kisses you always see little kids doing. Completely innocent.
"I'm not sure," I answered. "Here let me see," I said. She handed the picture to me and I flipped it over to the back. My mother always wrote names of the people in the picture and a small caption. This one read 'Alexandra Mirt and Jaymason Larck: True love's first kiss.'
I recognized the name immediately for a couple reasons. The first was that he was the boy next door back when I lived in Texas. My best friend before Lynne. The other reason I couldn't quite figure out. I read the back out loud so Lynn could hear the name, but I doubted she would recognize it.
"Isn't that the name of the kid who just started at our school. He's in our third period isn't he?" Lynn asked. So she had heard of him and it clicked in my brain also. "He did kinda jump when your name was called during attendance," Lynn continued.
"You know you're right," I said. She nodded while smiling. "Man Lynn how wierd is that. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow. See how much he remembers about me." Lynn smiled again and placed the picture on my bed and looked at the next one. I turned back to my stack also.
Chapter 3: Realizations
"Ready for third period?" Lynn asked me. She'd snuck up behind me on my way to third period.
I turned to her. "Yeah. I brought the picture. When I walk in I'm going to drop it on his desk. See if he does anything and then talk to him when I get a chance. After class probably," I explained my whole plan for talking to Jaymason.
"I saw him this morning. Turns out his first period is across the hall from mine," Lynn shared. I nodded as if it ment something to me. "You ok?" she asked.
"Just a little nervous about seeing 'The boy next door' again," I answered. I got quiet and pale when I was nervous. My friends would describe me as outgoing, but the only time I was outgoing was when I was with a bunch of friends or if I was really hyper. I was crazy normally, but only my friends from junior high knew that. Along with the friends that knew me well.
"Here we go," Lynn shrieked.
"You're a little too excited about this don't cha think?" I said. She nodded and gave me a look. I read the look and to me it said, "Time for a little fun." 'Great,' I thought. 'Lynn's gonna play matchmaker again.' I groaned to myself as I walked up the stairs.
I took one of my backpack straps off my shoulder and swung the whole thing to the front of me. I reached into the first pocket and pulled out the picture.
I walked into the classroom right before the bell rung. 'Perfect timing.' I thought. This way he didn't have the chance to talk to me before the bell.
Lynn and I sat in the same row as him only all the way in the back since he was in the first seat. Lynn led the way over to the row he was sitting in and as I passed his desk I slipped the picture onto his desk and took my seat hoping he wouldn't try to talk to me yet.
I looked at him. He was looking at the picture closely. As soon as the teacher stood up to begin class he turned around and stared at me. I pretended to stare at the teacher and I seemed to get away with it because he quickly turned back around.
I very lucky that day. The teacher didn't have much planned so she handed out a packet to work on and said we could partner up and talk as long as it was quiet and we turned everything in by the next day.
That was my sign to turn around and start talking to Lynn but it was Jaymason's sign to move back two seats and place the picture on my desk. I ignored him.
"Alexandra Mirt. The girl next door," Jaymason said from behind me.
"Jaymason Larck. The boy next door over five years ago," I said sticking to his tone of voice. I kept a straight face.
"You don't look happy to see me," Jaymason said smiling. "I never knew you could keep a straight face. You never could when we were younger."
"Five years is a long time," I said, but I lost my straight face and smiled. He was a lot cuter then I remembered, even though I was only ten and he was just a friend back then. I wasn't interested in boys.
"Hi Jaymason. I'm Lynn, Alex's friend," Lynn said from behind me. I made a mental note to thank her because he would've said something about me not keeping a straight face. "You guys look really cute in that picture. Think it'll happen again any time soon?" Lynn asked looking from me to the picture to Jaymason. I made another mental note to kill her for that.
"I don't know. What do you think Al? Should we give it another try?" he said smiling at me again.
I stood up and walked away, glaring at Lynn. I went over to a different group of kids and asked a question about the assignment.
Lynn came up and pulled me away though, forcing me to come back and sit down.
"I was just joking Alex. Jaymason just happens to be really good at playing along don't you Jay?" Lynn said once we were back at our desks. Jaymason nodded smiling that wonderful smile.
"I hate you guys," I said as I sat down.
"You didn't here did ya?" Jaymason said pointing at the picture.
"Yes I did," I said slowly, my smile growing wider with every word. Before anyone could say anything else the bell rang and I grabbed my stuff and stood up. Jaymason stood up at the same time and blocked me and Lynn in as he picked up his book and backpack.
"You gonna move so we can go to class?" I asked when he stood straight up and looked down at me. He'd grown a lot.
"Answer Lynn's question and I will," he responded. He really wanted to know? I looked into his eyes and realized he wasn't kidding.
This realization made me realize he liked me. He had known me for a just over an hour and he already liked me. Then I realized I liked him back. I had been smiling and got embarassed when Lynn asked a stupid question. It all happened very quickly.
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